Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Joshua 14:6-15
Set – Joshua 14; 1 Corinthians 7
Go! – Joshua 12-14; 1 Corinthians 7
Joshua 14:6-15
6 Some members of the tribe of Judah came to Joshua at Gilgal, including Caleb, son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite.Caleb (to Joshua): Remember what the Eternal said to Moses, the man of God, about you and me in Kadesh-barnea. 7 I was 40 years old when Moses, the Eternal’s servant, sent me out from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land of Canaan. I brought back an honest report. 8 The others who were sent as spies only discouraged the people and melted their hearts, but I obeyed the Eternal One, my God, completely. 9 At that time, Moses swore an oath to me: “Someday the land on which you have walked will be given to you and your children as an inheritance forever because you have been completely faithful to the Eternal One, my God.”
10 So here I am. The Eternal has spared my life these 45 years since He spoke this to Moses while Israel was in the wilderness. Here I am today, 85 years old, 11 still as strong today as I was when Moses sent me into this country, able to fight and able to work.
12 So now I ask that you give me this hill country the Eternal spoke about on that day. You heard then how the Anakim were there with great fortified cities, and so they are still. Because the Eternal goes with me, I will drive them out, just as He has said.
13 So Joshua blessed Caleb, son of Jephunneh, and gave him Hebron as an inheritance. 14 Hebron belongs to the descendants of Caleb, son of Jephunneh, the Kenizzite, even now because he obeyed the Eternal God of Israel completely. 15 (In ancient times, Hebron was called Kiriath-arba after Arba, who was the greatest of the Anakim.) So that land was peaceful.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Caleb had a special place in the promised land because he had a special place in My kingdom. Of all the spies who went into Canaan to report on the land I would give the Israelites, only
Caleb told Moses My people should go in immediately and take it because I would be with them. All the other spies cowed to their fear of failure in the face of people bigger and better equipped for war than they. They forgot that God plus one is always a majority.
All but Caleb and Joshua forgot a few months earlier I delivered them from Pharaoh and the great Egyptian army. The Israelites didn’t lose a single person when I defeated Pharaoh’s army. I kept them safe, fed them, gave them water. I did miraculous things they saw with their own eyes, yet when they saw the size of the people in the land, they forgot Me and what I could do for them. Only Caleb and Joshua believed I could lead the Israelites to victory despite the odds against them in men’s eyes.
So Caleb, the Kenizzite, received his reward. He received all the land he spied out for the nation when he entered it forty years earlier. He also has a place in My kingdom. A place reserved for him in heaven. My servant did what I asked of him and will have a great reward because of his faithfulness among the unbelievers with whom he worked. He tried his best to convince others of who I am and what I can do. It wasn’t his fault they failed in their own faithfulness. Caleb did his part and will find his reward because of it.
The point is, trust Me. I can do all things. Something that looks impossible to you, if I’ve told you to do it, I’ll be with you and together we will make it happen. I just want you to allow yourself to be an instrument in My hands. I know what you are capable of much better than you. Remember I made you. I also know how best to use you to complete My plan on earth. So make yourself available to Me. That’s all you need to do. I’ll do the rest through you. Just believe in Me and let me take care of everything else.
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